Undergarment



Feb; 25, 1941. A. R. KNEIBLER UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 30, 1938 Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES UNDERGARMENT Arthur R. Kneibler, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to Coopers, Incorporated ration of Wisconsin Kenosha, Wis., a corpo- Application September 30, 1938, Serial No. 232,505

3 Claims.

This invention relates to undergarments and has particular reference to mens undergarments such as drawers.

The main objects of the present invention are 5 to provide a garment of the type indicated having snug and smooth-fitting characteristics together with an arrangement wherein the crotch portion oi the garment-alfords a mild but comfortable body supporting eiTect; to provide a garment of the type indicated having a front opening which will tend to keep itself closed so as to maintain the iront portion of the garment in smooth, fitting condition.

In general, it is the object ofthe invention to provide a garment of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,019,140 with certain features of improvement which enhance the commercial value of the disclosed construction.

Other objects and advantages will be under- I20 stood by reference to the following specification and accompanying -drawing wherein. there is illustrated a garment embodying a selected form of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, and

Figures 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2-2 and 3--3, respectively, on Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the garment herein disclosed comprises a body portion 5 which includes a front body portion 6 and a back body portion 1, a crotch portion 8, an elastic waist band 9 and legs III, I0.

'I'he Waist band 9 is preferably made of a suitable grade .of elastic webbing embodying elastic rubber strands which tend to resist stretching of the Waist band. 'I'he diameter of the waist band is selected so that for a given size of garment, the waist band will be stretched suiiiciently when the garment is worn toafford a desirable grip- 40 ping effect about the waist of the wearer.

The front and back body portions of the garment are preferably formed of knitted textile material, the wales of which extend vertically of the garment so that the material has but a limited ability to stretch vertically but considerable stretchability transversely.

The front portion of the garment may be formed of one or more piecesI and in this instance it is formed of a generally rectangular 50 part 9, and a generally triangular part I0, these two parts being united near their upper edges approximately centrally of the front of the garment as indicated at II. The front of the garment also includes a portion I2 which may be separate from or integral with the crotch portion 8.

In this instance the front portion I2 is shown as being integral with the crotch portion B and having its upper end pointed so that one edge meets an adjacent lower edge portion of the trivangular front part I to which it is suitably se.- cured as indicated at I 3. The front garment portion I2 and the crotch portion 8 are preferably formed of two plies of material so as to provide increased strength through the crotch portion of the garment.

The seam portions indicated at II and I3 are preferably covered and reinforced by a tape element I4 which provides a desirable finished appearance to the front of the garment. The tape portion I4 may be of knitted textile material and 15 in any event of such material or so arranged that it is relatively inextensible longitudinally. By this means, the tape element I4 serves to transmit certain downward forces on the garment to the waist band thereof, so that the lower portions of the garment, particularly 'the crotch portion, are supported more or less directly from the waist banal. It will be understood that the tape element I4 is not essential since the wales of the upper body portions of the garment extend vertically so that said upper portions are not substantially stretchable. Also, the joining together of the parts as indicated along seams indicated II and I3 serves toy produce a reinforcement which resists stretching. The employment of the tape is, however, preferable if for no other reason than one of improved appearance.

The rectangular front part 9 has its lower end portion extended beyond the slanting free edge I5 of the front part I2 and it terminates in a 35 free edge as indicated at I6, which is approximately parallel to the said free edge I5. The relatively overlapping parts of the garment portions 9 and I2 are united along the seam I3 and also along a portion of a seam I I which unites 4o the leg IIJ of the garment to the body thereof. Another seam I8, vsimilar tothe seam Il, unites the other leg III to the body of the garment.

Of the free edges I5 and I6, the lower one, i. e. the edge I6, may be bound or lnished with a strip of tape formed of knitted textile material of the same character as is employed in the main portions of the garment. Said edge I6, however, need not .be bound'except sufiiciently to eliminate a rough or unfinished edge. The uppermost of said free edges, namelylthe edge I5, is preferably bound with an elastic tape element I9 which contains a suilicient number of elastic rubber or rubber-like strands to adequately resist stretching of said free edgeV I5. Said elastic tape element is secured along its length to said free edge I5 and it is also secured at its ends in said seam portions I3 and II.

The provision of the elastic tape I9 serves to prevent permanent stretching of the lapping garment portion to which it is applied. It will be understood that in the absence of such an elastic tape element or its equivalent, the knitted textile material has a normal tendency to resist stretching but that such resist-ance is relatively weak and after repeated stretching tends to take a set in stretched condition, wherein it permits the opening formed between the loverlapping portions to gap. Such gapping, in a garment constructed as herein shown, does not impair the comfort characteristics of the garment but it obviously tends to unsightliness. The provision of the elastic element prevents the occurrence of such permanently stretched condition. In certain other garments wherein the arrangement of the Doverlapping parts is reversed so that the upper- The gathers may be secured as an incident to the formation of the seams II and I8, so that there is no material increase in the cost of production incident to the provision of said gathers.

The crotch portion 8 which extends transversely from front to rear of the garment may be formed integral with the back portion of the garment or it may terminate at a suitable point as indicated in dotted lines at 22 which may represent a seam between the rear end of the crotch 'portion and .a generally triangular back body portion, the side edges of which are substantially in register with the seams I1 and I8. The said seams I1 and I8 lare preferably so formed that they have a tendency to prevent stretching of the garment portion adjacent said seams or to reinforce the adjacent garment portions against such stretching so that said seams have the effect of transmitting downward forces on the crotch portion B more or less directly to the waist band of the garment.

The proportions of the front and back bod portions of the garment are preferably such that the seams I'I and I8 approximately coincide with the groins of the wearer. This arrangement adds considerableto the comfort characteristic of the garment. The legs IIJ thereof are preferably of such size that they t the legs snugly and their lower ends may be suitably clinished by seaming or other well known means.

The described structure may be changed in numerous ways, including the cut of the various.

parts and the number of pieces employed, the location and angle of the front opening, and the arrangement for providing it, and other changes without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. An undergarment made from knitted material comprising a front panel tapering downwardly and terminating in a narrowed crotch portion of extra length and having the wales thereof extending in substantially the vertical direction, the side edges of said crotch portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the wales of the goods thereof, a pair of side panels each being made of material having its Wales extending in substantially the vertical direction and each provided with a front edge extending at an angle across the wales of the goods thereof whereby said edges are stretchable prior Ito the same being sewn, said edges of said side panels being secured by substantially inextensible seams to the edges of said front panels including the edges of the crotch portion thereof, the edges of the crotch portion being gathered or fulled during the formation of said seams to an extent to take up the extra length of said crotch portion and to provide a supporting pouch in the lower front of said garment.

2. An undergarment made from knitted material comprising a front panel tapering downwardly and terminating in a narrowed crotch portion of extra length and having the wales thereof extending in substantially the vertical direction, the side edges of said crotch portion extending in a direction substantially parallel -to the direction of lthe wales of the goods thereof, a pair of side panels each having a body portion and an integral tubular leg made of material having its wales extending invsubstantially the vertical direction, and each also having a front edge extending at an angle across the wales of the goods thereof whereby said edges are stretchable prior to the same being sewn, said last named edges being secured by substantially inextensible seams to the edges of said front panel including the edges of said crotch portion thereof, said crotch portion being gathered or fulled during the formation of said seams to an extent to take up the extra length of said crotch portion `and to provide a supporting pouch in the lower front of said garment, and the garment further having the inner sides of said tubular legs extending downwardly from said crotch portion.

3. An undergarment made 0f knitted material comprising front and back body portions, an elastic waist band, and a crotch portion, said crotch portion being formed of material having its wales extending in substantially the vertical direction and having a front end extension lapping a portion of the front end of :the garment and provided with an angularly disposed edge, said angularly disposed edge being united to said lapped portion of the front of the garment at spaced points to form, in effect, a fly-closed opening in the front of the garment and means connecting said crotch portion to said waist band to support the crotch portion from said waist band including an elastic member secured to the langularly disposed edge of said crotch portion, said elastic member having sufficient resistance to stretching to serve as a support for said crotch portion during normal use of said garment and having suflicient elasticity to resist permanent elongation and consequent sagging of the langularly disposed edge of said rcrotch portion, under the superior stretching forces exerted by the wearer during the use of said ily opening.

ARTHUR R. KNEIBLER. 

